Metaphors for eternity
Admire Unamuno's portraits and discover his strong friendship with the artists of his time
By Unamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
Marta García Gasco
Self portrait by Miguel de UnamunoUnamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
In his childhood, Unamuno expressed his artistic side in his drawing and painting classes in the studio of the master Lecuona. From then on, a fluid relationship emerged with the artists of his generation, who portrayed him on numerous occasions.
In many cases, a strong friendship grew, which can be seen in interesting documents belonging to the writer's archive. They allow visitors to get close to the most bohemian atmosphere of the era, and get to know the link Unamuno made with the artistic circles of his time.
Apprentice and model
It is no surprise that the same students who attended the studio of the painter Lecuona in Bilbao ended up being the models for other apprentices at the school. This is what happened when Macario Marcuartu portrayed the young Unamuno in this drawing, which manages to reflect his unique psychology.
Portrait of Miguel de Unamuno (1905) by Manuel LosadaUnamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
Portrait of a chancellor
It was only a few years after Unamuno's arrival in Salamanca to take up the post of university professor that he was appointed chancellor in 1900. In 1905, his childhood friend Manuel Losada produced this portrait of him, in which he said that he saw himself with "a certain resemblance of the future."
Feast in Unamuno´s honor (November 29, 1914)Unamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
The bohemia of the Parisiana club
In November 1914, a tribute to Unamuno was organized in Madrid's most fashionable spot: the Parisiana club, very popular among the intellectuals of the time. Attendees of the event included the painters and brothers Ramón and Valentín de Zubiaurre Aguirrezábal and their brother-in-law, close friends of the writer.
A break in El Retiro Park
Unamuno and the painter Ignacio Zuloaga y Zabaleta were good friends. Whenever work would allow, they managed to find moments to discuss each other's ideas. The painter produced a portrait of Unamuno, which can be found today in the Hispanic Society museum and library in New York.
The Association of Basque Artists
In 1912, the Association of Basque Artists (Asociación de Artistas Vascos) was founded with the aim of promoting and developing fine arts, as well as bolstering the relations of its members. Unamuno was one of its most influential members, actively participating in its scheduled activities.
Feast in Zuloaga´s honor (June 17, 1915)Unamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
The friends of my friends
On June 17, 1915, the Association held a banquet in honor of Zuloaga at the Nuevo Parque restaurant in Bilbao. It was attended by various artists and writers as well as the painter they were honoring. Unamuno, held in such great esteem by everyone, could not have missed such an important event.
The olive trees of Valldemossa
In 1916, Unamuno visited Majorca. There he stayed in the house of the painter Pilar Montaner i Maturana and her husband, Juan Sureda Bimet. The memory of this trip is kept alive in a portrait of Unamuno painted by Montaner, and in two rousing articles that he dedicated to her, enchanted by the beauty of the landscape of Valldemossa.
"I stayed for 10 days at the home of Mr. Juan Sureda, whose Majorcan hospitality is an honor for the island. The hours spent with Mr. Juan Sureda and his wife Pilar, an excellent and emotional painter, seem to pass by without my noticing them”
In 1920, Unamuno gave a lecture at the Residencia de Estudiantes student residence in Madrid, where he met the young painter Daniel Vázquez Díaz. This meeting sparked a great interest in the man of letters on the part of the artist. A strong friendship was forged between them at that moment, and it grew over time and with the numerous portraits of Unamuno produced by the painter.
Caricature of Don Miguel de Unamuno (1923) by Luis BagaríaUnamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
The Owl Professor
In the first half of the 20th century, the so-called Spanish school of caricature was consolidated, and Luis Bagaría Bou was one of its greatest exponents. Bagaría produced numerous caricatures of Unamuno, which were widely distributed in the press and magazines of the time.
Friendship with Ramiro Arrue y Valle
A special bond united Unamuno and Arrue, a member of a lineage of artists. His letters are filled with respect and affection for the professor. He visited him on numerous occasions during his exile in Hendaye, where he drew the front cover for the Hojas Libres magazine.
Miguel de Unamuno in Hendaya (1926)Unamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
Coastal walks
"Miguel de Unamuno tended to be in Hendaye often. I would go with him and we would take two long walks along the shore. I took this photo of the philosopher."
Arrue
Cover page of Two speeches and two articles (1930) by Miguel de UnamunoUnamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
On the front cover
Given that the thinker's portraits were of such high artistic quality, some publishers would include them on the covers of their books to draw in a larger number of readers. That is the case with this work by Juan de Echevarría Zuricalday, whom Unamuno affectionately referred to as his painter.
"I am not my own, I belong to the public"
Longing for eternity
Unamuno always expressed what he called his hunger for eternity. Many artists asked him to pose for them. Thanks to their works, the man of letters managed to cross the threshold of time, just as he had desired.
M.P. Chekhova’s brushes and paints (1890/1900)Museum A.P Chekhov "Melikhovo"
Brushstrokes of immortality
Unamuno achieved the immortality he yearned for by posing for great artists whose names cannot be omitted. The Spanish artists Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, José María López Mezquita, and José Romano Gutiérrez-Solana, foreign artists such as Maurice Fromkes and Guido Caprotti, and painters such as Manolita Gallego Agero are among those who managed to make him eternal.
Portrait of Don Miguel de Unamuno (1935) by José AguiarUnamuno House-Museum, Salamanca University
Living over time
Unamuno appears to be as upright and firm as a solid rock. Austerely dressed, he grips a book in his hand. His Salamanca is traced behind him in rapid and loose brushstrokes. The intense tone evokes a storm, and his pensive face will forever observe the future.
"… And once, in front of a portrait of myself from 25 years ago, I asked myself, 'but was this you?' And I wasn't able to relive that life. And I have come to think that various men, the sons of each day, make their way through our bodies, and that today's devours yesterday's, just as tomorrow's will devour today's, keeping some of his memories, and that our body is a cemetery of souls. How many we have been!”
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